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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cap — a lid
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. degree — temperature
  6. suit — to fit
  7. rash — a series
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ground — a position
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. suit — in cards
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cap — of ice
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cap — a hat
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. suit — clothes

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com